Why Foreigners from Around the World Are Fighting in Ukraine’s International Legion

From politicians to gemstone hunters, from the UK to Australia—we spoke with four soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, who joined the fight for Ukraine's future.

Lopresti: From UK parliament to Ukraine’s frontline  

“Some of my colleagues from both parties said I was the member for Kyiv Central, not for Filton and Bradley Stoke,” Jack Lopresti jokes during the interview. Like the other foreign volunteers who feature in our report, we met during exercises at the training ground. Jack served as a Conservative Member of the UK Parliament for 14 years before changing careers after the 2024 UK General Election. Now—instead of wearing a suit, Lopresti is clothed in a military uniform. The patch on his arm bears two flags merged into one—the UK and the Ukrainian. 

“It was pretty clear to me that it would probably be the toughest ‘election’ I could fight,” he says. “I started to think, well, if the worst were to happen, I'd come to Ukraine, I'd spend a year or two helping out, just doing what I could. And then almost immediately, I thought I'd end up serving in the military.” Despite having dedicated a significant part of his life to politics, Lopresti also has military experience, particularly serving in Afghanistan.  

A few months after the election in which he lost his seat, he applied to join the International Legion. Known by his call sign “Pendragon,” a reference to the legendary King of the Britons and father of King Arthur—Uther Pendragon—Lopresti’s focus within the Ukrainian military is on a variety of issues. “Foreign affairs, a bit of diplomacy, foreign relations, and procurement—from air defense to personal kit and equipment. I'm doing some veterans' work, too.” 

His first visit to Ukraine was precisely one year after Russia’s full-scale invasion—on February 24, 2023, when he was still an MP. During his tenure, Lopresti traveled to Ukraine many times and advocated for additional aid. 

“We have what happened in the Second World War in 1940 in our DNA,” he stresses, speaking about the UK's unwavering support for Ukraine. “It's within living memory—when we were alone, fighting for our survival, for our existence as a nation. We were bombed, our cities were bombed. We've always felt an affinity with what the Ukrainian people are facing.”

This is the front line for European and Western freedom.

Jack Lopresti

International Legion of DIU soldier

Lopresti underlines that if Ukraine does not prevail, the consequences for the entire world would be catastrophic. “Ukraine was a peaceful, sovereign, independent, free nation attacked by tyranny, authoritarianism, and a monster. You cannot change borders by force, you can't march into somebody else's country and try and take it over.” 

He emphasises that the West must continue to support Ukraine, “not forgetting that Ukraine is fighting our battles here.” At the same time, security guarantees must be in place so that if the Kremlin leader ever tries to cross the border again, he will face resistance not only from Ukraine but also from all European nations—and even the United States. 

“The best way to avoid future conflict is by a demonstration of strength and an understanding on their side that it won't be accepted or tolerated if he were even to start to make preparations again,” Lopresti says, adding that a European presence in Ukraine after the war is a necessary step. “Putin is a liar. We know that. He lied over Chechnya, over Georgia, over Syria, and the peace accords made after the annexation of Crimea. He can't be relied upon. I wouldn't trust anything he said or signed up to. There needs to be proper strength and deterrence.”  

SOLO: From halfway across the world

“Russia has chosen the wrong people to fight," says another foreign volunteer J. Robert Ralph—call sign “Solo”—who came to Ukraine all the way from Australia. “Ukrainians are so resilient.” 

Ralph has Ukrainian friends back in Australia. “I've always known they're a different country compared to Russia,” he says. I love the culture; they're just beautiful people. Everyone I've known has always been really good.” With these words, Solo begins to tell us how he traveled halfway across the world and ended up on the front lines of Ukraine. 

I couldn't handle watching what was happening. 

“Solo”

International Legion of DIU soldier

“I knew in my heart I could do it,” he says. “My grandparents were a bit of inspiration, too. They were on both sides of the family in World War II.” Having no previous military experience, Solo recalled wanting to join the military when he was younger, but, because of a broken femur, his application was declined.

Today, he serves in the infantry with Ukraine’s International Legion. As he describes it, “It's just me and a small team.” Volunteers do their pre-deployment training, are sent to their area of operations to perform their dedicated tasks, and finally return to Kyiv for a short break and further training. Then, the cycle repeats.

Asked about today’s biggest challenge on the battlefield, “Solo” names fiber-optic drones. “The Russians are adapting,” he says. “We've got to keep adapting. Technology's coming into play. Things get a lot harder. It's a constant readaptation to try and keep up.”

However, this doesn’t pressure him to go back to Australia, adding that Ukraine already feels like home. “My mother tells me she thinks I'm happier here than I was back there. Not that I was depressed at home, or that I came here because I had nothing going on, but I just felt like I had to come.” Despite promising his mom that he’d try to be in Australia for Christmas, Solo laughs that it’s more likely his mom would come visit him in Kyiv.  

Reflecting on life at home, he says, “I miss my freedom back there in the way of going in the middle of nowhere and looking for gemstones,” and he plans to do this after the war ends. “I'll go back to Australia and I'll get back into mining and cut my gemstones,” he adds. Solo goes on: “I'd like to get a place here in Ukraine one day and just travel between both worlds.” 

HOBO: Machine guns, explosives, and just a regular rifleman

How does one get a call sign like “Hobo,” we asked Chris? “Looking like a homeless man,” he answers with a smile that you can still make out through his bushy beard. Originally from Florida, Hobo spent the last few years before Russia’s full-scale invasion living in New York. “I haven't actually been to the US since September of 2022, so I'm not really sure if I live there anymore,” he says. 

His background consists of four years serving in the US Marine Corps as a radio operator and a similar stint in the US Army as a scout. “A few of the guys that I served with from the Marines had already gotten here in March of 2022. I was playing with the idea—do I really want to go? Next thing I knew [from them—ed.] was: ‘Man, we're fighting. We're winning.’ Then—I'm on a plane, landing in Warsaw.”

He began serving with the Ukrainian military during the Kharkiv offensive in 2022. That same year, he redeployed to the Luhansk region. “We stayed there until the summer of 2023, and then we pushed south towards Bakhmut. I served in the Donbas. In 2024, I went to the Zaporizhzhia region. Just recently, we were up north in the Sumy region.” 

Many things have changed on the battlefield since 2022, he says—artillery was the biggest threat in open fields back then. Meanwhile, nowadays, the greatest threat comes from drones. “You're more scared of hearing a drone than anything else, just because of what it implies,” he says. “Someone's seeing you. They can easily target your location. They can spot any of the movements. You never know what kind of flavor of explosive you're going to get.” 

He is currently assigned to a direct-action team, also known as an assault team, where his area of expertise includes machine guns, explosives, and serving as a regular rifleman. “Everybody likes to think they're prepared,” he says when asked whether his military background helped him be ready for the war in Ukraine. “You're actually getting World War I, World War II, and Vietnam War tactics with today's technology. It's very, very frightening, as is. What makes it worse is that it's constantly evolving for both sides.”   

This is a war that we haven't seen in over 80 years. 

“Hobo”

International Legion of DIU soldier

Hobo recalls that when he first came to Ukraine, he believed he would only be fighting for a year or so. “Almost three years later, I'm still here. So maybe one day I'll just say: ‘I'm tired and I just want to go home.’ Or—I'll just keep fighting.” 

BARD: A jack of all trades—a master of none

He worked in aviation, taught firearms classes, and was a competition shooter. Meet “Bard,” who describes himself as a jack of all trades—a master of none. He has lived in Colorado for the past 18 years, “but now I call Ukraine my home,” Bard says. Among the four fighters we interviewed, he is the only one who prefers not to share his name or show his face. 

His first visit to Ukraine was on March 6, 2022, when he came as a volunteer, making supply trips. “During that time, there was perhaps the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II, where so many women and children were fleeing Ukraine for the safety of Europe and other countries. Experiencing that, or being a witness to that, had a profound effect on who I am today.” A few months later, Bard joined the International Legion. 

“I originally enlisted to be simply a combat medic,” he says. “Now I've done much more than that. I believe in the future I'll be pursuing drones.” Despite all the changes in this sphere, “Bard” believes that some things remain constant. “Over the last year, we've seen fiber optics become the standard of FPV drones, and those evolutions in technology will continue. But the foundation remains—you'll always need to see the target, identify the target, and engage the target.” 

Honest to God, I'm here to do whatever is needed. 

“Bard”

International Legion of DIU soldier

“I would say merely as a human being, it is my duty,” says Bard. “For that reason alone, of course, I would support Ukraine and aid Ukraine, but I've also come to love Ukraine. Now I'm invested not only on principle, but my affection and love for Ukraine.”

“Bard” thinks that if the United States considers itself to be among the “bastions of freedom and democracy in the world,” the country should act like it. His message to anyone in the US who doesn't understand this is simple: “Crack open a history book.” 

“They need to look at what happened in the 1930s that ultimately resulted in America sacrificing its sons and daughters,” he says. “This is world-altering history, and simply standing on the sidelines watching it happen does not absolve you of the responsibility you have to end the evil where evil is most obvious.”  

“Bard” believes that coming to Ukraine should be a commitment, well considered beforehand: “You have to be all in, or not at all. So many people come and waste their time and resources on just a little bit, and then go home. In many ways, simply using the funds that you would spend on some sort of trip to help organizations, to help UNITED24, for example, will be so much better spent.”

The last question for Bard is a simple one: “How long does he plan to remain in Ukraine?” He answers without hesitation: “Probably forever. I think I'll die here one way or another.” 

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